Yes he’s a future hall-of-famer. And yes, he is arguably the best player to have ever played in the NBA; some analysts place Kobe Bryant above Michael Jordan on the list of the NBA’s greatest players of all time. Questioning Bryant’s talent and accomplishments is ignorant; numbers never lie.

His capabilities shouldn’t be the Laker’s concern, but the effects his presence has on the team atmosphere should be their biggest concern. During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Bryant was asked if there was anything that the younger players on his team could teach him about basketball and in an egotistical way Bryant responded by saying, “No. I don’t think I know it all, but I know more than they do.”

But wasn’t LeBron James a member of the 2012 Olympic team? And isn’t LeBron James younger than Kobe Bryant? I would argue that LeBron can teach Kobe a few things or two about basketball; there’s a reason why LeBron has won three of the last four NBA MVP awards. But apparently Kobe doesn’t consider LeBron’s record-breaking NBA career impressive.

If Kobe doesn’t believe that he can learn from LeBron and Chris Paul, I doubt if he believes that he can learn from Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and his other teammates. During the NBA All-Star weekend, while Howard was crossing his fingers and hoping not to be traded, Kobe stated that he didn’t care if Howard was traded from the Lakers.

“I don’t know what they are going to do, but at this point it doesn’t matter. What matters to us is what we do on Wednesday [Feb. 20th against the Boston Celtics] and go from there.”

True, taking it one game at a time and slowly progressing into the playoffs is a strategic way to stay optimistic and focused. But if Kobe believed that Howard was an asset that the Lakers couldn’t afford to lose, he would have said so.

Is there enough room in L.A. for Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard? This frequently asked question should never be asked by anyone. The Los Angeles Lakers and every other team in the NBA are members of team sports. If for any reason a player’s ability to work as a team is questioned, that player’s position on that team should be questioned as well. Unfortunately the Lakers don’t understand the basic fundamentals of team sports.

“I got a question earlier about whose team this is,” says Bryant, while speaking to the Media back in 2012. “I don’t want to get into the, ‘Well, we share …‘No, it’s my team.”

Really, Kobe? I didn’t know that you were part owner of the Lakers, thanks for letting me know. We know that Kobe is cocky. Cockiness is entertaining especially when you have the game changing skills that Kobe has.

But in the world of team sports, individual success is relevant only when individual awards are relevant. A player could possibly average 40 points, 30 assist, and 20 rebounds per game but if that player’s team fails to make the playoffs throughout the player’s 15 year career that player will never fulfill the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Regardless of LeBron’s individual success, he would never be in a conversation involving Kobe and Michael Jordan if he didn’t win a ring.

If the ultimate goal is to obtain rings every year, the Lakers must get rid of the cancer, which is Kobe.